That man.
A face far too familiar vividly resurfaced in Etern’s mind.
He had a devilishly captivating face. Just the sight of him, his beauty so overwhelming, naturally inspired awe and trembling among those around him.
‘The man who killed Father and became the new tyrant.’
Etern’s eyes quivered ceaselessly as she bit her lips hard.
‘The man who was my husband and the one who killed me… Ziggkart.’
Ziggkart Randster.
That was his name.
‘I had sworn never to meet him again…! That’s why I was trying to prevent Father from going to war!’
The thought of encountering someone she absolutely didn’t want to face, now making his way to the Empire, was almost enough to make her faint.
Wintier frowned, cupping Etern’s pale face in his hands as he noticed her complexion turning ashen.
“Why do you look like this? Are you unwell?”
“Dad, it’s not that…”
“Glych, summon the royal physician.”
As Glych turned to leave immediately, Etern interrupted.
“There’s no need for that!”
Startled, Glych froze in place, and Wintier spoke in a reprimanding tone.
“Do you even realize how pale you look?”
“I’m not hurt. That’s not the problem…”
In her urgency, the words she wanted to say spun around her tongue, unable to find their way out.
Damn it! What excuse should I come up with?
“What if the Grand Duchy misunderstands? Who would believe that an eight-year-old traveled all that way alone? What if they think we kidnapped their son?”
Surely, this made sense, didn’t it? Etern anxiously stared at Wintier, awaiting his response.
“Hah.”
But what came back was an unexpected scoff.
“You’re worried about something so trivial?”
‘Trivial?!’
Etern exclaimed,
“How is that a trivial concern? If we have a problem with the Grand Duchy, wouldn’t it be troublesome for you too, Dad?”
“Troublesome? What could possibly be troublesome? If they dare to accuse the Empire and me over such baseless misunderstandings, I’ll gladly oblige them.”
Wintier’s reply made Etern feel as though the blood in her veins had turned cold. Yet Wintier seemed oblivious to his daughter’s reaction.
“The continent’s map is outdated anyway. It wouldn’t hurt to redraw it.”
It’s hopeless. Etern internally clutched her head in despair.
‘He’s basically saying he’ll erase Randster from the map! No, that absolutely can’t happen! This is insane. Even if Mother wakes up safely, as long as Father has such intentions, a war could break out at any time.’
Etern bitterly realized an undeniable truth: when someone born violent and aggressive gains power, this is what happens.
What made it worse was that she didn’t even have time to reflect on this revelation.
‘If the boy bearing the Grand Duke’s seal is Ziggkart, then it can’t be anyone else. His younger sibling is still far too young.’
Even if the information had been distorted, if someone from the Grand Duchy was coming, there was only one course of action.
‘We need to welcome them warmly. That’s the only way to prevent any pretext for conflict.’
Etern spoke up.
“Dad, then we should send someone immediately. Even though it’s unlikely, if a child is traveling alone, they could be in danger.”
“What for? He chose the difficult path himself. Let’s see how far he can go.”
This is absolutely maddening. You can’t reason with this man!
‘He takes every opportunity to be difficult! Honestly, does he think he’s some kind of mischievous shoemaker fairy?!’*
At this point, it was all or nothing. Etern, determined to stomp out any sparks of conflict, made a bold declaration.
“Then I’ll go.”
“What?”
“Y-Your Highness!”
This time, Glych reacted more dramatically than Wintier. But Etern crossed her arms and turned her head firmly.
“If you’re not sending anyone, Dad, then I’ll go myself.”
Come to think of it, this wasn’t such a bad idea.
While she desperately hoped it wasn’t the case, if Ziggkart really was coming here…
‘I’ll come up with some excuse and send him back.’
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy. Still, he wasn’t as ferocious when he was younger. Surely there’d be a way.
At that moment, Wintier furrowed his brows, letting out a groan and a sigh.
“Glych.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Select a few knights and send them out. Whether it’s a boy or an old man, bring them safely to the palace.”
“I’ll do so immediately.”
Glych left without hesitation. Wintier, looking somewhat dissatisfied, lifted Etern back onto his lap.
“Are you satisfied now?”
“Well…”
‘If you’re going to do that, why not just send him back?’
But what could she do? It was already a partial victory. For now, she had to be content with this.
“Yes, Dad.”
“Who do you take after to worry about such unnecessary things?”
Obviously, you, Father. Etern gave Wintier a subtle side-eye he didn’t notice.
She had decided to blame all misfortune and pettiness on her father from now on.
***
The rumor about the Grand Duke’s son sparked brief interest in the imperial palace but was soon eclipsed by other gossip.
“Your Highness, have you heard? His Majesty has dispatched people to search for mages across the continent.”
“Mm, I heard, Dora…”
Perhaps their conversation had sparked something, as the Emperor promptly began the process of summoning mages.
‘It’s not a bad idea to start early. But right now, there’s something even more pressing…’
Ziggkart.
Until recently, Etern had been so consumed with finding a way to cure her mother that there weren’t enough hours in the day. But after the news from the border, she had been paralyzed for days, unable to do anything.
Whenever she closed her eyes, memories she thought she had forgotten came flooding back, making it difficult to sleep.
‘That man is the worst. No, far worse than that.’
After being forced into an unwanted marriage with him, Etern’s life was nothing short of a nightmare.
But still…
‘Come to think of it, all of this began because of Father’s actions.’
In her previous life, Ziggkart had been forcibly brought to the Empire at the age of thirteen by Emperor Wintier.
Wintier, who had his sights set on the Grand Duchy of Randster, recognized Ziggkart’s brilliance and decided to make him his own.
Under the pretense of making him the imperial princess’s future husband, Wintier took in a young boy who still needed his parents and subjected him to relentless training.
‘It might have been fine if it ended there…’
The reason Ziggkart eventually assassinated Wintier was that the Emperor broke his promise.
The pledge to preserve the Grand Duchy was a hollow lie that was never meant to be kept, but as a thirteen-year-old, Ziggkart had no choice but to believe it.
Hoping only for the safety of his parents and homeland, he endured the harsh life in a foreign land.
But…
With just a few mocking words, Emperor Wintier shattered the boy’s last remaining hope, leading to the tragic collapse of the Grand Duchy of Randster.
After finally killing his sworn enemy and claiming the throne, Ziggkart’s sword turned toward the imperial palace.
The officials who had served Wintier were executed in a single day, their families exiled to desolate lands.
The blood spilled during the massacre took days to clean up.
And as for Etern…
‘I don’t even want to think about it!’
Shaking her head in frustration, Etern let out a groan.
‘If Ziggkart’s arrival is inevitable, now is not the time to sit around despairing.’
She needed to come up with a plan. A way to ensure he wouldn’t catch Wintier’s attention…
‘No, it’s too late for that. There’s no escaping Father’s notice now.’
According to the information Dora had gathered, Ziggkart would arrive at the imperial palace in three or four days.
Etern clung to the faint hope that he wouldn’t come alone. Surely the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess wouldn’t allow their eight-year-old heir to travel such a long distance by himself unless they’d lost their minds.
At that moment, a maid with a pale face burst into Etern’s quarters.
“Hibis?”
Etern widened her eyes and climbed down from her chair to grab the maid’s hands.
“What happened?”
🍓; Expresses frustration and sarcasm toward someone who is intentionally making things difficult. ‘Mischievous shoemaker fairy’, sarcastically compares him to a trickster figure, likely referring to cobblers’ elves (like in the fairy tale The Elves and the Shoemaker), who secretly make shoes but are mischievous in some versions of folklore.
